Packers roundtable: What’s the dream scenario in the first round of the draft?

The talk around the Packersphere over the last couple of weeks has mostly been about the types of players the Green Bay Packers would presumably want to draft. That’s a valuable exercise to make, and one that every Packers writer does to some degree.

But what’s the realistic dream scenario? If you could choose a path for Thursday, what would be the outcome?

Sure, it has to be realistic, because Marvin Harrison is not falling down to 25. So I asked smart people who write, podcast, and cover the Packers to share their opinions about this topic, and the results are predictably varied.

Daire Carragher, 247 Sports and Packer Report

My dream scenario is the Packers stay put at #25 and land Jackson Powers-Johnson as the long-term answer at center. With JPJ, the Packers can finally threaten defenses with an up-the-gut rushing attack, which they've been missing since the departure of Corey Linsley.

Mark Oldacres, Cheesehead TV and Wisconsin Sports Heroics

My fear is there's no obvious choice for them at 25 and they do something weird, like take someone who shouldn't be a first-round player. So I'd say my dream is one of the consensus top 15 or so non QB's: a Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Graham Barton, Terrion Arnold, or Cooper DeJean falls to them at 25, and they actually pick that player, rather than, again, doing something weird.

Peter Bukowski, Locked on Packers and The Leap

I hate to be so basic and mainstream, but I really think the answer is Cooper DeJean. He's a problem solver for the Packers. They need playmaking; he's a playmaker. Need some help in the slot? Coop. Deep half safety? We've got one. Overhang/lurk and big enough to play in the box if needed? That Iowa kid.

Dusty Evely, Cheesehead TV, Packer Report and Pack a Day Podcast

Taliese Fuaga. I want guys who can be difference-makers on either side of the line.

Fuaga would fit perfectly into what this run game is becoming. He's such a good mover. With Fuaga, you've got a line where you've got multiple guys who are good pullers. As the Packers increase their gap scheme run game, a dude like Fuaga and his skills can really help open that up.

Johnny Newton also looks like a monster. Stick him on the line now and he can absolutely wreck the offensive line. Even if he's just a situational inside rusher, his first year he's still a difference-maker.

Andy Herman, Pack A Day Podcast and Packer Report

My dream scenario for the Packers is based on a 2005 trade at pick 25. In 2005, Washington traded up to pick 25 to select Jason Campbell. In doing so, they gave up pick 76, a future 1st, and a future 4th. The team who holds pick 76... the Denver Broncos, who could just be interested in moving up for a late 1st QB like Bo Nix.

Sean Payton just happens to have been involved in a lot of these types of trade ups in the past, including when he traded up for Marcus Davenport, giving up a future 1st to... Brian Gutekunst and the Packers. Is it likely? Probably not. But if Gute could get pick 76 and the Broncos 2025 1st round pick for pick 25, it could just be the heist of the decade as Denver could easily be a top 5 pick in 2025 (when Green Bay just so happens to host the draft).